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What is an electrical test engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted expert
Dr. Angela Rasmussen

As an Electrical Test Engineer, you will develop test structures and ensure efficiency and quality of electrical equipment and systems. You will also understand the needs of the projects you're working with, troubleshoot errors, and conduct tests and examinations, among others.

As an Electrical Test Engineer, you also need to possess special skills and traits. Firstly, you need to have good initiative and be willing to take charge and lead. Next is speaking skills. As an Electrical Test Engineer, you need to properly and efficiently express yourself verbally. Lastly, math skills are important as an Electrical Test Engineer. You need to know how to solve basic problems and use basic operations.

You can earn around $60,902 per year on average as an Electrical Test Engineer. There is also a job growth rate of 2%, which is quite good as a start. You also have the chance to further your career as an Electrical Test Engineer. You can be a Senior Electrical Engineer, a Project Manager, an Engineering Director, and a Vice President of Engineering.

What general advice would you give to an electrical test engineer?

Dr. Angela RasmussenDr. Angela Rasmussen LinkedIn profile

Professor (Lecturer) Director of Mentoring and Advising Director of Electrical Engineering Senior Projects, University of Utah

Take heart that while Electrical Engineering jobs have been impacted by COVID19, it's impact is minimal in comparison to most other areas. While many areas have been hit hard by layoffs, Electrical Engineering has only slightly been affected in comparison. Many companies have declared hiring freezes and many others are still hiring. Therefore, don't get discouraged. There are Electrical Engineerings jobs needing to be filled! Make sure to be professional in all your interactions and work on improving your online presence.
ScoreElectrical Test EngineerUS Average
Salary
5.8

Avg. Salary $74,723

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
5.7

Growth rate 3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
6.1
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.18%

Asian 14.46%

Black or African American 4.79%

Hispanic or Latino 11.09%

Unknown 4.70%

White 64.77%

Gender

female 8.58%

male 91.42%

Age - 44
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44
Stress level
5.7

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Electrical test engineer career paths

Key steps to become an electrical test engineer

  1. Explore electrical test engineer education requirements

    Most common electrical test engineer degrees

    Bachelor's

    71.7 %

    Associate

    13.3 %

    Master's

    10.3 %
  2. Start to develop specific electrical test engineer skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Data Analysis6.87%
    LabVIEW6.84%
    C++6.28%
    Data Acquisition6.04%
    Test Procedures4.58%
  3. Complete relevant electrical test engineer training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New electrical test engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an electrical test engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real electrical test engineer resumes.
  4. Research electrical test engineer duties and responsibilities

    • Manage drafting and software group, write equipment specifications, BOMS, test, and installation procedures.
    • Coordinate with senior electrical engineers and achieve hands-on experience on coal fire plant power generation and power transformers, circuit breakers.
    • Work with management in obtaining UL approval.
    • Used MATLAB to analyze data for clients.
  5. Prepare your electrical test engineer resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your electrical test engineer resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an electrical test engineer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable electrical test engineer resume templates

    Build a professional electrical test engineer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your electrical test engineer resume.
    Electrical Test Engineer Resume
    Electrical Test Engineer Resume
    Electrical Test Engineer Resume
    Electrical Test Engineer Resume
    Electrical Test Engineer Resume
    Electrical Test Engineer Resume
    Electrical Test Engineer Resume
    Electrical Test Engineer Resume
    Electrical Test Engineer Resume
  6. Apply for electrical test engineer jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for an electrical test engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first electrical test engineer job

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Average electrical test engineer salary

The average electrical test engineer salary in the United States is $74,723 per year or $36 per hour. Electrical test engineer salaries range between $56,000 and $98,000 per year.

Average electrical test engineer salary
$74,723 Yearly
$35.92 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do electrical test engineers rate their job?

4/5

Out of 1 Electrical Test Engineer reviews, 100% were positive.

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Based on 1 ratings

Work/life balance
3.0
Career growth
3.0
Pay / salary
2.0
Overall rating
4.0

Electrical test engineer reviews

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4.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2023
Pros

continuous learning

Cons

low scale pay which is not so good for the years of experience


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020
Pros

Working in electrical department is like a lifetime goal. And coming to the internship I can get to work with new people on my favourite site then put on some skills.

Cons

I like everything about it.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2020
Pros

To Install And Maintain Mostly In Building And Industrial Installation.

Cons

Repair, And Any Over Head Installation


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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